Seven Books That Will Change Your Life
1. Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich
Main takeaway: It is possible for anyone to become wealthy by creating and executing an idea that improves many people's lives. Pay attention to what lots of people are complaining about -- this is their pain point, and you can make big waves by creating a solution to this problem.
2. John Perkins - Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Main takeaway: Imperialism and exploitation have not disappeared from our world; they have merely shifted shapes. In the past, wealthy countries would officially conquer new lands and plant their flags into the ground. Today, they merely send their corporations and hired muscle to extract resources for pennies on the dollar, destroying the livelihoods of the local people and their environments along the way. It makes you think twice about what type of companies you are willing to work for, do business with, and buy from.
3. Muhammad Yunus - Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism that Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs
Main takeaway: There are creative ways to use business principles to empower people to break out of poverty in a financially sustainable way. Muhammad Yunus is considered to be the original creator of the microfinance movement, and shares many of his ideas and experiences that can be replicated to create a positive change in the world.
4. Viktor Frankl - Man's Search for Meaning
Main takeaway: This book was written by a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and he witnessed some of the worst conditions imaginable: starvation, torture, and the death of his family members. It's possible that he experienced a harder life than anyone else on earth. Despite this, he discovers that no matter what external circumstances we are thrown into, we have the power to choose our own perspectives and find true meaning in any situation. The fact that he was able to write this book and provide hope to millions around the world gives meaning to his suffering; as it served to reduce the suffering of others. Knowing that the lessons from our suffering can be of immeasurable value to others is reason enough to keep the will to live through the darkest of moments.
5. Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
Main takeaway: Eckhart does a great job (in this book, and in The Power of Now) of identifying the ego as the voice of the negative self-talk that we all have going on in our heads. By realizing that this voice is not who we are, we can remove the stranglehold it has over our lives. We create a lot of our own suffering through getting consumed by unhelpful patterns of thought, when in actuality there may be no immediate problems in our environment in the present moment -- and learning to get into this moment more often can help us find more satisfaction with life.
6. Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist
Main takeaway: This is the only fiction book on this list, and for good reason -- it's excellent. The main message is that we too often let fear, groupthink, and outside opinions guide us down a path that we don't belong on. Deep down, we all know what we were born to do; and by paying close attention to our intuition and the serendipitous signs we get along the way, we can discover the adventure we were born to take.
7. Jordan Phoenix - It’s All My Fault: How I Messed Up the World, and Why I Need Your Help to Fix It
Main takeaway: This book digs into personal stories and deep insights that seek to shed light upon some of the biggest challenges our species currently faces: Why is there so much poverty and discord around the globe? Why do so many people hate their jobs, and feel lonely and depressed? Is there a way for us to create a better system -- one that incorporates the interests of all global citizens -- allowing every person alive to meet their basic needs and advance towards self-actualization? It discusses the blueprints for a new paradigm in which we no longer wait around for someone else to solve our problems for us; and instead leverage modern technology and crowdfunding to create new opportunities that revitalize the downtrodden cities of our world. Using these ideas, we can rapidly accelerate towards the day in which poverty, homelessness, and underemployment become history.
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